After 28 years, Bangladesh revives case to drop Islam as state religion

DHAKA, March 7 (Reuters) - Legal action to drop Islam as
Bangladesh's state religion has been revived after 28 years, and
the High Court has agreed to hear the case later this month.

Bangladesh's 1971 constitution originally declared all
religions were equal in the eyes of the state. However, military
ruler Hussain Mohammad Ershad amended it in 1988 to make Islam
the state religion.

Ershad's action led a group of 12 citizens to file a writ
with the High Court to overturn the amendment. But Shahriar
Kabir, who convened the group, said the members soon decided not
to go ahead with the case.

"After filing the case, we realised that the bench would not
be favourable for us, so we did not move further," Shahriar told
Reuters on Monday.

Then the current government, led by Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina, again amended the constitution. The new amendment
reinstated the principle of secularism but also reaffirmed Islam
as the state religion.

The court action brought by Shahriar's group essentially
seeks to resolve that contradiction. The High Court will hear
the case on March 27.

"It will take long time to get any decision," said Rana
Dasgupta, a government prosecutor. "The nature of the case is
time-consuming. The High Court will continue to hear from both
parties and then will deliver its verdict."

The move to reaffirm Bangladesh as a secular nation comes
amid a wave of militant violence in recent months, including a
series of bomb attacks against mosques and Hindu temples
.

Some of the attacks, including the killing of a Hindu
priest, have been claimed by Islamic State. The militant group
has also aid it was behind the killings of a Japanese citizen,
an Italian aid worker and a policeman.

The government denies that Islamic State has a presence in
the Muslim-majority country of 160 million people.
(Reporting By Serajul Quadir, editing by Larry King)